Mazda 6 Station Wagon: Specs, Prices and Owner Issues

Few cars earn their keep the way a station wagon does, especially once a pram, two suitcases and a bike need to fit in the same load space. The Mazda 6 launched in Australia in August 2002, according to a CarsGuide used-car review, and this article separates what sources confirm about specs, cargo and model years from owner complaints about rust and engines, flagging every figure the sources disagree on.

Cargo volume: 506 L, 2018 Touring (CarExpert 2018 Touring spec page) · Model range: 2002–2018 (Autoevolution model reference) · Ground clearance: 130 mm, 2002 Classic wagon (CarExpert spec database) · Owner rating: 4.5/5 from 988 reviews, 2006 MAZDA6 (Kelley Blue Book owner ratings)

The key facts below sit close together across the two model years, which makes the sources easy to compare line by line.

How much does a Mazda 6 station wagon cost?

The research set holds no current price for the wagon, so every figure below is dated and needs checking against live listings before a purchase.

Used listings and sellers

• Finland: a 2016 Sport Wagon with 174,000 km at €16,200 and a 2019 Sport Wagon with 76,000 km at €23,900, according to Saka.fi used-car listings
• Japan: a 2019 diesel wagon with 130,340 km at USD 11,300 vehicle price, according to SBT Japan export listings
• United States: a 2004 Mazda 6 s Wagon with 135,680 miles at $3,200, according to Edmunds used listings

Price variation by model year

• The 2002 Mazda 6 ranges from $3,740 to $8,250 across trims, per the CarsGuide price guide
• Used 2002 Classic prices reportedly ran from $4,620 to $6,820 in a CarsGuide owner review

The catch: these prices cover different years, mileages and countries, so none of them gives a like-for-like figure for a newer wagon.

What are the Mazda 6 station wagon specs?

CarExpert gives the most complete spec pair in the set, covering a 2002 Classic wagon and a 2018 Touring wagon.

Cargo space

• 2002 Classic: 505 L with the rear seat up and 1712 L with the rear seat folded (CarExpert spec database)
• 2018 Touring: 506 L up to the lower window and 1648 L with the rear seat down, under VDA measurement (CarExpert 2018 Touring spec page)
• Autoevolution’s 2015–2018 refresh reportedly carries 522 L standard, extendable to 1664 L, a figure that does not match the 506 L CarExpert lists for the 2018 Touring (Autoevolution model reference)

Length and width figures

• 2002 Classic: 4690 mm long and 1780 mm wide (CarExpert spec database)
• 2018 Touring: 4800 mm long and 1840 mm wide (CarExpert 2018 Touring spec page)

Ten figures, one pattern: the 2018 wagon is 110 mm longer, yet its rear-seat-up cargo differs by one litre and its ground clearance by 5 mm.

Which Mazda 6 station wagon model years are available?

The sources group the wagon into generations, but they disagree on where the range starts and ends.

Model range 2002 to 2018

• Autoevolution lists Mazda 6 / Atenza Wagon models and generations for 2002–2018 (Autoevolution model reference)
• Auto-data.net lists the first-generation Combi as 2002–2005, according to its Auto-data.net spec database
• Carsales places the third generation from 2012, with Series II versions in 2015 (Carsales buyer’s guide)
• Cars-data.com gives production from 2002 to 2024 across 18 generations, according to its Cars-data.com model database

Atenza wagon naming

• Cars-data.com says Atenza was the name in Japan and China from 2002 to 2019, according to the same database (Cars-data.com model database)
• Autoevolution files the wagon under the Atenza Wagon name in its timeline page (Autoevolution model reference)
• The research set does not confirm whether the Atenza name applied to wagons sold in Australia.

The pattern: generation names give buyers a shortcut, but the end-of-range dates differ by up to six years, and CarExpert calls the model discontinued and no longer sold new in Australia (CarExpert model page).

What is the ground clearance of the Mazda 6 wagon?

The wagon’s published clearance sits between 125 mm and 130 mm in the sources that name a wagon, with one database listing a wider range by variant.

Published clearance figure

• 2002 Classic wagon: 130 mm (CarExpert spec database)
• 2018 Touring wagon: 125 mm (CarExpert 2018 Touring spec page)
• CarsGuide’s price guide lists 127 mm for sedan and hatch and 130 mm for the Classic wagon (CarsGuide price guide)
• Auto-data.net lists 130, 140, 150, 163 or 165 mm by variant, according to its Mazda 6 model database

Where to verify clearance

• No official Mazda specification sheet appears in the research set, so the exact trim and model year must be checked directly.
• The research set does not state which measurement method each database uses, so figures from different sites cannot be treated as identical.

The implication: a 5 mm gap between the 2002 Classic and the 2018 Touring is small, but a buyer planning rough rural tracks should confirm the figure for the exact trim before paying.

What do Mazda 6 wagon owners report about rust and engines?

Owner evidence is thin and mixed: a 4.5/5 rating from 988 reviews of a 2006 MAZDA6 sits beside repeated complaints about diesel filters, corrosion and water pumps.

Rust reports

• Subframe and suspension mounting corrosion is reportedly most severe on 2002–2008 models, with repairs costing £800–£2,500, according to GetCarWise UK buyer’s guide
• CarsGuide advises verifying crash repairs, because poor repairs can lead to body rust and structural weakening (CarsGuide used-car review)

Engine reports

• Carsales warns of water-pump failures in pre-2014 petrol engines and cites a US class action (Carsales buyer’s guide)
• First-generation 2.0/2.3 MZR petrol engines reportedly burn excessive oil above about 80,000 miles, according to GetCarWise UK buyer’s guide
• Diesel DPF blockage reportedly costs £300–£500 to clean and £1,200–£2,000 to replace (GetCarWise UK buyer’s guide)

Praised reliability

• CarsGuide’s editorial view is that the engines are robust and give little trouble if well maintained (CarsGuide owner review)
• A 2006 MAZDA6 owner on Kelley Blue Book describes 13 years of reliable ownership (Kelley Blue Book owner ratings)

The catch: the owner evidence is mostly anecdotal, so the defects above are patterns worth checking rather than measured failure rates.

The implication: the good owner ratings and the repair complaints come from different evidence, so each car needs its own inspection before the praise counts for anything.

Timeline signal

• August 2002: launch in Australia (CarsGuide used-car review)
• October 2006: diesel Mazda6 sold from this month (CarsGuide used-car review)
• February 2008: second generation arrives (CarsGuide used-car review)
• December 2012: third generation arrives (CarsGuide used-car review)
• 2015: Series II updates introduced for the third generation (Carsales buyer’s guide)
• 5 February 2019: 2018 Touring released in Australia (CarExpert 2018 Touring spec page)

The pattern: these dates mark arrivals and releases, not final sales, so the 2018 end year in one source and the 2019 release in another sit closer together than the raw numbers suggest.

Confirmed facts and open questions

• Launch in Australia: August 2002 (CarsGuide used-car review)
• 2002 Classic clearance of 130 mm and rear-seat-up cargo of 505 L (CarExpert spec database)
• 2018 Touring clearance of 125 mm and rear-seat-up cargo of 506 L (CarExpert 2018 Touring spec page)
• Owner rating of 4.5/5 from 988 reviews for the 2006 MAZDA6 (Kelley Blue Book owner ratings)

What’s unclear

• Current used prices for any wagon, since no dated figure in the sources covers a 2021–2023 model
• Whether any 2021, 2022 or 2023 wagon was sold new in Australia (CarExpert model page)
• The range end year, given as 2018 by one source and 2024 by another (Cars-data.com model database)
• Cargo for the 2015–2018 refresh, given as 522 L in one database and 506 L for the 2018 Touring in another (Autoevolution model reference)
• All-wheel drive and safety ratings, since neither appears in the research set
• Whether the rust and engine complaints hold across model years, because no source breaks them down by year

The pattern: the confirmed list is short and mostly comes from CarsGuide and CarExpert, while the open questions cover the price, the range end and the defect history that a buyer most needs.

What owners and reviewers say

Three voices, two verdicts: one editor and one owner rate the engines well, while another owner reports a costly diesel filter.

“Mechanically the Mazda6 is sound, no question, the engines are robust and give little trouble if well maintained.”

CarsGuide editorial, CarsGuide owner review

“My only problem is the DPF, which has blocked up twice, and is expensive to service. I won’t get another diesel in a hurry.”

Lynn Evans, owner quoted in a CarsGuide owner review

“This car has been very reliable over the 13 years I have owned it.”

KBB owner review of a 2006 MAZDA6, Kelley Blue Book owner ratings

The Mazda 6 wagon is easier to judge on paper than on the used lot. Its cargo and clearance figures agree closely across the 2002 and 2018 models, while owner complaints about diesel filters, corrosion and oil use rest on tier-3 guides and small samples. For a buyer in Australia, the choice is clear: pay only for a wagon with a documented crash-repair and diesel filter history, or walk away from any unit that cannot show one.

Related reading: Tesla Model Y Price NZ 2026: Costs and Buying Guide · Value Motors Lower Hutt: Cars, Bikes & $30K Giveaway

Frequently asked questions